5 Wonderful Words That Make Me Smile

by Robert on September 30, 2011

I like words. Some words, though, are gross. In fact, we talked about disgusting words a couple of weeks ago.

But the English language, fortunately, is not only comprised of nastiness. Yes, it does indeed have some beautiful words that either flow off the tongue or bring humor to the part of the brain that deals with humor (I’m not a science major, so work with me here).

With that in mind, today I present to you five words that make me smile. May we begin?

Monkey: I dare you to not laugh at the thought of a monkey. Who doesn’t love monkeys? I dare say that monkeys are the Jerry Seinfelds and Will Ferrells of the animal kingdom. Any animal that scratches its armpits, screams belligerently, and slings poo at passers-by is cool in this guy’s book.

Abyss: Sure, it’s a morbid word that means a vast area of nothingness. Sure, it’s a sad word that’s kind of hopeless sounding, like “The flying kitty cat misjudged its landing and its kitty cat soul plummeted into the feline abyss.” But it sounds cool, so I like it.

Leisure: I don’t know why I like this word. When I hear it, I think of an elderly gentleman with a top hat and cane taking a “leisurely” stroll through a downtown square. Also, leisure suits are kind of funny.

Fizzle: What a delightful word. “Fizzle” is a great example of onomatopoeia (a cool word in itself), which is a word that sounds like what it’s describing. “The fireworks fizzled out.” But it also has a negative meaning, like “The Atlanta Braves fizzled at the end of this season.”

Epiphany: This word sounds cool. But it’s also a word you can use if you want to seem smart. “As I relaxed on my veranda with a cappuccino in hand, I had an epiphany: ‘Given the right tools and encouragement, kitty cats can fly'”

I’ve got to be honest. I had a harder time finding words I like than words I hate. Don’t know why that’s the case. Maybe I’m just a pessimistic kind of guy.

What about you–what are your favorite words?

P.S. A virtual high five to you if you can complete a sentence using all five words.

Awaiting his meaning of life epiphany, the monkey spent a leisurely afternoon flinging his fizzling poo into the abyss.

I agree with your list, which is amazing. And I have to agree, good words are much harder to come up with. I like to think that it’s not because of pessimism but because we react more strongly to words we hate.

The deep South, especially Cajun country is good for lots of fun words. Who can’t like muffaletta? Or gumbo (especially in Little Feat’s “mighty rad gumbo”)? Or for that matter, Louisiana (properly pronounced LOOZ-ie-anna, not Lou-WHEEZY-anna). There’s a river near the Louisiana/Mississippi (there’s another one!) border named the Tchouticabouffa (CHEW-ti-ca-boof-a). Gotta love it.

Then there’s Poughkeepsie (puh-KEP-see). Not in the deep South, but there’s a Faulkner connection (which might explain Sound, come to think of it). A reporter supposedly asked Faulkner where he got his ideas. [Stupid, STUPID question, but I digress.]

“Poughkeepsie,” Faulkner replied.

“Poughkeepsie?” the reporter asked, astonished.

“Sure,” Faulkner said, “Every six weeks I send them 25 bucks and they send me six ideas.”

I agree with “abyss,” and second Blair’s inclusion of “whimsical.” I have also always enjoyed the words “exquisite,” and “quotidian;” even though “quotidian” carries an unpleasant meaning. I simply find both words quite euphonious. Ironically, the word “euphonious” I do not find euphonious in the slightest.